Once the celebrating is done, Ainge has to get back to work

By: Byron Parker

While the Boston Celtics are still basking in the glory of their NBA Title, the off-season is basically here and Danny Ainge will have a few things to sort out. A successful off-season from last year brought home a title, and even though Ainge probably won't be looking to make any drastic changes like he did last year, he will still be looking to keep his team well-structured. Now that they are considered a championship caliber team, they must remain that way and depending on how the team looks at the beginning of next season, that will determine whether they still have what it takes to remain the championship caliber team that they are now. With many key Celtics becoming potential free-agents the off-season will be the Celtics only challenge going into next season.

A repeat isn't out of the question for this franchise. The Big Three are all signed up until 2010 and players like Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo aren't going anywhere anytime soon. The core of this team won't be affected next season. But there are six players who become potential free agents over the off-season--Sam Cassell, P.J. Brown, James Posey, Scot Pollard, Tony Allen and Eddie House. All of these players have played a crucial role in the Celtics being able to bring a title back to Boston; whether it was in the regular season or the post-season. The only name that really doesn't really stick out at you in terms of importance to Boston's run at the title would most likely be Scot Pollard--no disrespect to Scot. The chances of him remaining in a Celtics uniform is very slim. He can be effectively used to take up space in the paint for another team, but the Celtics really don't show any need for him so he'll most likely be gone next season. Hell, retirement could be the next step for him if you consider his career not having an upside what so ever. If you look at P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell, their age is catching up to them as well and they may be pondering retirement. P.J. Brown was called out of retirement and his presence helped the Celtics in many ways, but he has his ring now and retiring may be his next option. It is tough to see Brown coming back, especially considering the talent that's on the bench with players like Powe, Davis, etc. He's 38 years old and winning the NBA Title maybe the icing on the cake for his career. The same standards apply for Sam. He's also 38 and he was basically called in to bring his veteran presence to the team, and guide Rajon Rondo in the post-season. That he did, and now it may be a wrap for his career. The Celtics will probably look to get younger rather than older, and Cassell wouldn't help out that case.

The most important name of the bunch is James Posey. Posey showed off his importance to this team by playing solid basketball throughout the season, and turning it up a notch in the playoffs. He was a constant threat on the floor for Boston as he was able to lock-down the offensive threats on the opposing teams, while he came up big offensively himself. He scored about 9 points a game in the Finals while playing about 25 minutes. He's a gamer and after helping teams like the Miami Heat and the Celtics win NBA Titles, he would be hot in the free-agent market if he were to opt-out of his two year contract with Boston. With this said, he most likely do just that. After teams see a guy like that come up big in his years of playing in the playoffs, they wouldn't mind having a piece like that on their team. He's not just a veteran presence--he contributes to his team by scoring, playing defense and he is sometimes reliable in crunch time. If he is open in the corner for a three and your team is in need of a big basket, Posey can hit it for you. James is important to the Celtics, but if he gets another offer from another playoff contending team that's hard to refuse, then I see him out of Boston next season. It's no secret that the team would love to keep him on the roster but his list of suitors may be pretty long.

Tony Allen and Eddie House are also two names among the ones mentioned in the list of potential free-agents coming out of Boston. House has hopped from team to team throughout his NBA career, and there is question to whether or not he will be a Celtic next year or not. He is a solid guard who is always prepared to play and can come in at any time to put up some quick points if you catch him on the right night. When Cassell injured his wrist and Rondo struggled in the playoffs, House came right in and made his presence felt. During the Finals, House saw 19 minutes a game and used them to his advantage by putting up 8 points a night. With his ability to quickly pull the the trigger from the perimeter, he can definitely help a team out with offense off of the bench. If I was Ainge, that would be a guy that I would look to bring back, for the fact that he brings so much more energy off of the bench than people think. He isn't a bad guy to have sitting on your bench. But with his history in not really having a home, he may not be back. Ainge may feel better knowing that he can do better than House with him earning about $1.5 million. And I feel that teams may be looking at him to lock him up for a couple years longer than the Celtics held onto him. In Allen's case, Gabe Pruitt may be ready to step in to take over the back up point guard position behind Rondo. That leaves Allen in a tough situation. But it's not like Allen didn't have any sort of presence on the court. He played his role as a reserve and though he made mistakes, those were only mental blunders that can only be fixed with experience. With only three years in the league and knee injuries that forced him to miss time in his career, he can only get better as a player. But the decision to bring him back sits on Ainge's shoulders. It's no secret that Ainge would like to see more out of Allen, but how patient will he be with him? He is a restricted free-agent and there is no telling how his situation will fair out. It's really a toss-up for him. For some reason, I believe that the Celtics will keep him for his consistent defense and his energy. But if a team offers him a deal that the Celtics are unwilling to match, then say bye-bye to him.

If/when the Celtics organization figures out what is going to happen with these potential free-agents, then there will be a lot of shoes to fill on the bench. They will have the last pick in the NBA Draft and whoever they choose will most likely be the next step in rebuilding the bench. Some minor off-season signings may help that out as well. But Ainge will have another busy off-season this year. He doesn't have to bring in anymore big names in order to win another NBA Title, but pending on the decisions made by those in the front office regarding the potential pool of free-agents coming out of Boston, there will be a search for role players who can come in and do what they are called upon to do. After all the celebrating is completed, Ainge will have to go right back to work and decisions by himself and the players will have to be made. It'll be an interesting off-season for the NBA Champs.

The future will be bright in L.A.

By: Vince Vitale

Despite Boston's six game dominance of the Lakers, their future still looks bright. Especially considering the fact that they made it to the NBA Finals without Andrew Bynum. Drew was their starting center at the begining of the year and will be back next year, along with the all of other starters. Now close your eyes and imagine--Fisher pushing point, the closest thing to Michael Jordan at the other guard, and the versatile Lamar Odom becoming a dominant small forward. Pau Gasol will most likely slide down to the power forward spot where he belongs and Bynum will return to the starting line up. He will be the dominating inside presence that the Lakers lacked this year. He will compliment the frontcourt players so well, that the team can only become better. The Lakers will surpass Boston's bench because Cassel and PJ Brown will likely retire. Kobe will have another MVP type season and the Lakers will begin their quest to becoming a dynasty.

Now the important thing is keeping the pieces of the puzzle together. Look for Laker management to draft a scoring type combo guard to come off of the bench. As the West continues to get older, the Lakers can remain the favorite. Steve Nash is past his prime, so the Suns aren't the same threat that they used to pose. The same case can be made for Tim Duncan and the Spurs as well. The Mavericks have chemistry problems with their team and New Orleans is still one peace away from contending. Meanwhile in the East, Detroit should fall apart soon--for better or worse, and the Cavs need to find the Robin to Lebron's Batman.

With all this being said, a repeat of this year's Finals are very realistic as of right now, and I see the Lakers getting their revenge.

Boston takes Game 1, how can the Lakers rebound (no pun intended)?

Once again, the Boston Celtics are able to take the first game of a series on their home court in a 98-88 win over the L.A. Lakers. It seems like the Celtics are always able to play an energetic game in the opening game of whatever series that they're in and it seems to be a key win for them in every series in these playoffs. That Game 1 win is always important to them because they have yet to take complete control over a series as they were able to win each one in six games or more.

But how key was this one against the Lakers?

Well, the Lakers look like they are the only team that won't give Boston any stolen opportunities to allow them to take control of the series. The Lakers aren't like the Pistons who seem to be the only team in the NBA that can't take momentum into the next game, unlike the Lakers who can use momentum from a good win and use it to make the kill on their homecourt. It didn't show in the series against the Utah Jazz much, but they were still able to get the job done there. And don't forget the impressive, knocking off of the '07 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs. In a series that was predicted by many to be the toughest for the Lakers by going six, if not seven games. But the hungry Lakers were able to take advantage of the fatigue shown by the Spurs from rounds one and two.

That is what the Lakers will need to do in order to top off the Celtics. It's safe to see that the Celtics are a team that you wouldn't want to face on their homecourt while they are up in the series because that's where they have done most of their damage throughout the regular season, and even the playoffs. They've only lost one game in the postseason at TD Banknorth. That was against the inconsistent Pistons who had the best chance to give the C's the most trouble, but they couldn't take the energy from Game 2 and send it back to their homecourt where they allowed the C's (a team who couldn't by a win on the road) to steal away TWO games on the road. Not cool at all.

The Lakers are similar to the Celtics when it comes to playing at home, but they've shown more consistency on the road than Boston has. That is really the one and only advantage that the Lakers have over the Celtics. The Celtics are too good to assume that the match ups that the Lakers have against the Celtics are an advantage because that's not true. It showed in Game 1 that the match ups may be a little difficult for the Lakers.

The Lakers will have to do what all of the other teams that faced the Celtics couldn't do, and that's actually STEAL a game at TD Banknorth. The Pistons didn't steal Game 2 away from Boston, rather more than they just won it because they didn't take advantage of that win. That is all the Lakers will have to do in order to make this series come out in their favor.

Lakers vs. Celtics Rivalry Renewed?

By Jake Wessel

At the conclusion of Game 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals, the whole NBA front office must have been high-fiving each other as their wish for Lakers-Celtics has finally come true. In a rivalry that captivated NBA fans in the 80’s and thrusted the NBA into prime time, it has also passed baseball as the second highest rated American sports league. Now in a two-decade long wait, the rivalry is renewed and the NBA can start counting its money as the advertising and the games themselves will rack up some major ratings and money. This is a rivalry that is one of the few that has transcended the sport by bringing in more viewers, by having two teams year in and year out playing for the championship. Bringing in two guys, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, who were some of the first NBA players to gain advertising promos for McDonalds and such thus getting the NBA more spotlight and gaining a wider audience. The Lakers and Celtics were the ones that were in large part, responsible for the popularity increase in the NBA in the 80’s. It’s no secret that the actual rivalry itself ranks with the greatest rivalries of all time, like the Yankees/Red Sox, Michigan/Ohio State, Redwings/Avalanche etc.. So how does the Lakers/Celtics rivalry get to rank up there with aforementioned above? They had everything in terms of being an all time great rivalry.

They had prominent figures on their respective teams, which the casual NBA watcher would recognize. Thus, they were able to reach those viewers to get a larger audience that other teams might not have been able to draw. They were totally opposite teams in every aspect to their game plans, types of players they had, coaches, all the way to the actual cities they represented. On one side you have the blue-collar working class Boston Celtics that played great team defense ran traditional plays and were scrappy. O the other side, you have the Hollywood flash and flare, show time L.A Lakers that ran teams out of the building with lights out shooting and countless fast break points. Those attributes and description of the teams and cities can be added to their leaders, Larry Bird of the Celtics and, Magic Johnson of the Lakers.

On one side you have Larry Bird who was a country boy best noted by his lights out jumper and clutch abilities, while he was a quiet guy who led more by example than by words. He embodied his team image by hard work, getting loose balls, steals and rebounds; just plain and simple scrappiness. He also had the clutch shooting and plays that only Michael Jordan can compare to. Then you have Magic Johnson who was outgoing loved giving interviews talking to reporters, and possessed skills that the NBA hasn’t seen before and hasn’t seen since. I don’t feel bad saying that he was the most completely skilled basketball player the NBA has ever seen. It can be noted first that he was a 6’9 point guard which is unique in itself, then add that he was quick, made insane passes and could shoot from anywhere on the court; you really had the most dangerous player in the league. He could have played every position on the court and excelled at each. So when you have popular players conflicting game styles, players, and cities you have the makings of an all time great rivalry that dominated the 80’s.

So then fast forward 21 years and you can see why this is so huge in the fact the NBA’s greatest rivalry is renewed. Even with an obvious different roster and playing styles. You have Kobe Bryant who can solidify himself as the true best player in the league by winning his fourth championship ring. Then you have three players in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen That have been criticized in their career for not being able to get it done in the playoffs and win that all elusive NBA championship. Also being able to continue the legacies of the two most decorated and noted NBA franchises will provide everything needed to have successful and notable Finals series. This is just what the NBA needs in a time that ratings and popularity has leveled off and is in need of a spark that only a Celtics/Lakers Finals can produce.

2008 Celtics-Lakers Finals have big shoes to fill

By: Byron Parker

The Boston Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers...this is the way that it was supposed to be for the '08 NBA Finals. Conspiracy or not, that is the way that it has turned out and now we have a highly anticipated match up for the NBA Title.

This is a rivalry that was built in the early 60's and kept on until it died around the early 90's. Since then, every match up between these two teams haven't been as intruiging as the years of Bird, West, Johnson, Russell and all of the other stars who made this match up one to always watch. The years have gone by and now we find ourselves anticipating a series that hasn't been more hyped than the last time these two teams met in the NBA Finals--21 years ago. Yes it has been a long time since we've seen the Lakers and Celtics in action for something that is more important than just a regular season win--these are two of the most successful franchises in sport's history going against each other once again, for an NBA Title. It's way better than another Cavaliers-Spurs series, or a Pistons-Spurs series only because of the business aspect. With NBA ratings going down in the past couple of years, the NBA needs something like this to bring it back to where it's supposed to be. The interest level has plunged and now the chances of it skyrocketing are very high with this particular Finals match up.

Let's not get carried away with this though. With all the hype surrounding this series, it all comes down to the players.

Will they be able to make this an intruiging series?

Will the outcome of this series bring back the old days when the tension between the two teams was high?

This years Lakers and Celtics teams have HUGE shoes to fill. There is a lot of pressure on these two teams--not because they are playing for an NBA Title, but they are being relied on to bring back a rivalry that was once the face of the NBA. It seems like a lot of people, including David Stern, are depending on them for a boost in the interest level of the league. We've seen the commercials with highlights from the old games be compared with Kobe and Garnett to build up the anticipation of the series. But at what point does it get too "over-hyped"?

The pressure for this series to be similar to the ones in the 60's-80's is high and we don't know what to expect. As of now, there is no beef between the two teams that could make it more interesting. That is what was great about the former match ups between these two. We saw a lot of physical play on the court and it was fun to watch. But with a league that seems to be full of "softer" players these days doesn't make me look forward to a typical basketball game. The players on both teams don't seem to be the kind of players who would trash talk, in order to make the series more interesting to watch.

It is no secret that Boston is a much more physical team than the Lakers are and they've shown that all season (and a few times during the playoffs). What can we say about the Lakers being physical?

They tend to be more focused on winning the game rather than trying to make it more appeasing to others, which is a good mentality to have going into a highly anticipated series such as this. There is no need to make bad decisions because of what people want to see. That will just furthermore prove how much the NBA is staged. But with the Lakers being the way they are and the Celtics being the way that they are, how will this fair out with the rivalries from years ago when both teams had just about the same mentality?

It won't. These two teams can't allow the pressure of trying to be like the old guys get to their heads, because there is no need to fake it in order to make this an interesting series. They have to renew the rivalry rather than continue it. The days of Bird vs. Johnson, West vs. Russell is now over. This is a new era in the NBA where it is only right to play like you need to instead of play like you want to.

We definitely want to see the best possible series, but without the comparisons. With all of the comparisons being made between the two TOTALLY different era's, how dissapointed would everybody be if one of the team's were to be swept?

All of the unnecessary hype goes right out of the window and now we're looking forward for it to happen again. There is a pretty good chance that these two teams could meet in the NBA Finals again for the next several years, but let's not get too carried away in the hype. Not saying that this will be a great series because everybody on Earth should be tuning into every game of this series. It's just that we have to let the series play out to become its own rivalry, instead of trying to turn it into one that hasn't been around for over 20 years.

David Stern's dream is still intact

By: Byron Parker

If you’re an NBA fan, you should’ve realized by now that the commissioner David Stern will do anything to improve the marketing aspect of the league. Anything that could help the image of the NBA will be done if necessary. Even if that means letting things go off of the hook in order to allow the best match ups in the future.

This case can be made for the recent situation that occurred in Game 4 in Atlanta in Game of the 1st round match up between the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics. After taking an obvious elbow from Kevin Garnett, Zaza Pachulia had his beef with Garnett and got in his face to let him know what’s up. After everything was close to being broken up, Garnett finally decided to get tough after the altercation was just about over and attempted to make his way back to Pachulia which is when he started getting held back by the official, Ed Rush. The mindset of Garnett may have been blocked out by his own self because the adrenaline possibly got to his head, which may have caused him to rip Rush’s arms off of him and clearly shove him out of the way. To top it off, Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, clearly took a couple of steps off of the bench and he looked to be walking further out until one of the coaches held him back from going any further. The same came from the other side with Atlanta, when Marvin Williams had his foot on the floor. The difference between Williams and Perkins was that Williams only had his momentum moving him onto the floor unlike Perkins, who clearly looked as if though he was planning on stepping further if his coach weren’t to hold him back.

Now with David Stern in attendance of this game, the look on his face looked as if he might take at least a little bit of action and at least bring some discipline among somebody out on the court. But who would be the one to receive the consequences?

Well, Pachulia didn’t do anything deserving of consequences as all he did was basically stick up for his team by letting Garnett know that he wasn’t going to be throwing out those cheap shots to his team. Garnett didn’t do anything wrong when he exchanged words with Pachulia, even though he may have been wrong for throwing the elbow which started the whole situation. The main thing that he was wrong for is shoving the official out of the way in order to escalate the situation that was going on out on the floor.

Other questions that may be asked is if Williams or Perkins made a bad choice by barely stepping out onto the floor. No, they weren’t wrong for doing that because as a player, there are a few things running through your head if you see something like that…break it up, go out and stand up for your team or try and sit back so you don’t get into trouble. Most of the time, the first and second scenarios are mainly chosen by players. There is definitely nothing wrong with that either because a lot of people think that way. The problem came from the office of David Stern.

The first issue with Garnett shoving the official out of the way to escalate the beef on the court was looked at without a problem. Garnett doesn’t receive any consequences for it. Whether it’s because he is a highly respected player in the NBA, or the “referee wasn’t harmed in the shoving”, it’s hard to see that situation and hit Garnett with a suspension or at least a fine. But yet in the previous game when rookie Al Horford showed his (dis)respect for Paul Pierce by yelling at him while he was on the ground, Pierce walks towards the Atlanta bench and throws up some type of symbol that nobody knows except Pierce and he’s fined for it. Pierce stated that it stood for Blood, Sweat and Tears. I thought he was throwing up a 3, just basically telling Horford that it was only Game 3. Whatever it was, Pierce was fined and he apologized for it telling the NBA that he is not for promoting any type of gang violence.

Garnett is let off the hook, but the other issue involves with what happened with Marvin Williams and Kendrick Perkins. The rule in the NBA states that if any player leaves their bench in order to address an altercation on the court, they will receive some type of discipline. We saw what happened in last years playoffs when Steve Nash was shoved into the scorers table by Robert Horry in the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns. Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw were both suspended for stepping off of the bench after the situation started getting heated within a matter of seconds. As many people believe, those suspensions heavily affected that series as Phoenix was without some key performers. When you look at when Perkins and Williams stepped out onto the floor, it is similar to what happened last year. With Diaw, he looked as if he was just taking momentous steps when the situation in Phoenix got hot; that looks exactly like what Marvin Williams did. But with Stoudamire last year, he looked like he wanted to address the situation with some sort of retaliation, whether it was exchanging words or whatever. That may not have been Kendrick Perkins’ EXACT intentions but his steps towards the situation looked as if he was looking to do something before he realized that he may have took one step too many and it could result in a disciplinary action.

Whether it’s just a lean off of the bench or intentions to take action in the situation, the NBA wasn’t consistent about it. Williams and Perkins should’ve been suspended for what they did, even if it was just an inch onto the court. Consistency is key for the NBA and they didn’t show it in this particular situation.

Let’s take a look at the shove Garnett gave to Ed Rush. Now tell me if that wasn’t somebody like Rasheed Wallace, Al Horford or even Stoudamire, they wouldn’t get suspended either? I highly doubt that they would be playing in the next game.

This puts a big question mark over the NBA and David Stern. It’s obvious that he wants to see Boston and the Lakers in the NBA Finals and anything that could step in the way of that would break his heart. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see that again? Boston and L.A. just like the good ol’ days. I can understand Stern’s motivation but all he is doing is raising more suspicion and losing respect for the NBA. When disciplinary action needs to be made, nothing should stop you from making those actions even if it requires you “ruining your dream” (Stern’s dream is to see L.A. and Boston in the Finals of you didn’t get that one). It’s hard to tell if it would’ve affected the outcome of the series anyways, but there is still a level of consistency that needs to be kept. With this situation, there wasn’t any shown at all.

But even with no suspensions made, the series went to 7 games which was something I’m sure we all didn’t expect to see. Stern’s dream may be crushed within the next round or so. Atlanta basically exposed Boston and the next two rounds can bring problems for the Celtics. For now, Stern is happy. As long as the Lakers keep rolling, his dream season may still be a possibility. I’m not gonna lie…I would love to see a Celtics-Lakers Finals because I wasn’t able to see it back in the old days. Who wouldn’t want to see it? But situations like this show how phony the NBA can get and then you have to question other things that go on around the league. Stern just lost some of the little respect I had for him, and probably not just from me. I’m pretty sure plenty of Atlanta fans are pissed as well. Stern still has his dream intact, but his integrity will always be questionable, at least to me.

Detroit vs. Orlando: Scrap City

By: Ray Dunseith

For a series where most articles that I read prior to it focused on how the starting shooting guards for each team are great friends (one even gave the other one their dog as a gift), the match up of the Orlando Magic and the Detroit Pistons seems to be headed in a rather violent direction. Both teams are scrappy and very hungry. Dwight Howard is one of the most physical players in the NBA, and Jason Maxiell and Antonio McDyess aren't quick to back down from fights. There were numerous pushing matches throughout the whole game, but what really tells me this is going to be a brawler was when Walter Herrman and Pat Garrity (yes that’s right that guy Pat Garrity) were about to fight playing the garbage minutes in the fourth quarter. I don't like it.

I love it.

It shows what heart both players have and how much they support their teammates (not that either one is really considered an enforcer on their team). Anyway, the point being made here is that don't let the Piston's 20 point lead fool you. This is going to be an exciting series for all of you NBA fans outside of Central Florida and the Mitten that didn't catch game one to come check out (even for you Western Conference fans that are used to 1,000,000 point games. I mean hey, this should be more exciting than Tim Duncan and those boring-a#$ Spurs).


Besides, if Boston gets upset by Atlanta (it is possible guys, just ask Mark Cuban about those kind of upsets), than this will be better than Hawks/LeBron and some other guys.

NBA Playoff Match-ups: Eastern Conference

By: Byron Parker

Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks were able to squeeze themselves into a playoff spot within the last week and a half. They have managed to finish the season under .500 and still clinch the eighth seed. But that just means that they will have to face the No. 1 seed in Boston. It may not be fair for people to write off the Atlanta Hawks against the rejuvenated Celtics, but that just may be the case. The Hawks are 0-3 against the Celtics in their season series and in those games, Atlanta showed no kind of trouble for the C’s. In all three games against Boston, Atlanta lost by 10 or more points. Paul Pierce has been scoring 22.3 points a game against Atlanta in his match up against Hawks forward, Marvin Williams. Williams isn’t the right defender for Pierce for obvious reasons. Pierce’s strength and ability to drive the ball to the basket is too much for Williams and Doc Rivers knows that. So he tends to run plays that involve Pierce going straight to the basket. And with Pierce being the good ball handler that he is, he has no problem with setting up the play himself and trusting himself to do the right things. This is Doc Rivers’ fourth appearance in the playoffs as a head coach and he has not had success at all. All four appearances resulted in a loss in the first round but if there is a year to change all of that, it’s now. He has a hungry team in all stars like Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen. These three were the best on their respected teams but once they all got together in Boston, they’ve done nothing but show their strength in the NBA. All if them have basically been having fun and boosting the confidence of the rest of the team by leading them to the best record in the NBA. We all see that they are comfortable playing with each other. And there may be a lot of star power on this team, but they don’t let that affect how they play unlike some other teams would allow (cough-Denver-cough). Atlanta is eager to knock Boston out of their place but the numbers just don’t convince enough people to choose them over the C’s. This is a team that doesn’t possess a lot of playoff experience and even if they did, would it be enough to upset Boston? Mike Woodson has yet to accomplish anything in the NBA as a head coach, even though he’s only been coaching for 4 seasons. No disrespect, but it’s obvious that Atlanta doesn’t have enough weapons to overcome the powerful C’s.

Detroit Pistons vs. Philadelphia 76ers

If an upset were to occur in the playoffs, this would be the logical pick. Philly has been one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs, believe it or not. Throughout February and March, the 76ers were able to compile a record of 19-9 which included a couple of “mini” win streaks. These hot runs surprised many and now they see themselves holding down the 7th seed in the East which leads them to face the veteran team in the Detroit Pistons. One bonus that the Pistons DO consist of are veteran players which enables them to know how to play come playoff time. They’ve been to the Eastern Conference Finals four seasons in a row. The last two seasons have been failures under the head coach, Flip Saunders as this might be his last year to retain his position in the Pistons organization. Many blame him for the weak playoff losses in the past couple of seasons and feel that he is not capable of guiding a championship caliber team into the Finals. That may be true but there is a lot you can learn from being booted out of the playoffs two years in a row, especially since he still has the same team. The Pistons have gone through the first round without a problem over Saunders’ tenure in Detroit and this is the time where it seems like the Pistons have their heads on straight. Saunders will usually rest his starters towards the end of the season and this gives them time to relax before the playoffs begin. So as soon as the first round comes, they come out with a lot of energy and tend to treat their opponents as no problem. The thing for Philadelphia is that they’ve been using their starters in the last couple of weeks of the season in order to retain a playoff spot and fight their way into a higher seed. Detroit on the other hand already had clinched the 2nd seed and they had nothing to worry about, therefore giving the starters the opportunity to rest and letting the bench develop over the last couple of weeks. Philly is no pushover though. The season series is tied at 2-2 giving Philly a confidence boost going into the playoffs against them. Andre Iguadola is averaging almost 20 points a game against the Pistons and he has been the strength of their success. But Detroit just may have too much for Philly, even though Philly is playing the role as the underdog.

Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors
Orlando has taken the season series between these two teams, 2-1. And if you want honesty, the Raptors 41-40 record is a fluke. The Raptors have a really young, energetic team that hasn’t showed their full potential yet this season. So the chance of it showing in the playoffs just doesn’t favor them. Orlando on the other hand, has showed their potential throughout the 07-08 season. They were able to get off to a hot start and play consistent, team basketball which has led them to clinch the 3rd seed in the playoffs. Not many would have picked the Magic to do what they’ve accomplished this year, but their team is amongst the top in the East. The Raptors still show weaknesses in their lineup and many question their toughness. They do have Chris Bosh who has put together another solid season, scoring 22.5 points and grabbing 8.7 boards a game. But they don’t have anybody that can replace him off of the bench. So Bosh could easily get into foul trouble and the middle would basically be open for Dwight Howard. The match up between Howard and Bosh will be a fun one to watch because they are both the big men whom which their franchise is revolved around. They are dangerous scorers inside, Bosh is probably the most versatile and Howard is probably more intimidating. Both are excellent defenders and they bring a lot to the table when it comes to leadership. But when it comes to the all around team aspect, Orlando has a lot more. Hedo Turkoglu is one of the most underrated players in the NBA who can do things like hit clutch three’s, to drive the ball to the basket. Another threat that Orlando has is Rashard Lewis who is among the best at the small forward position. He compliments the team in all aspects of the court. And since coming to Orlando, Maurice Evans has been a key for the Magic’s success by both, coming off of the bench and contributing to starting on the floor. There are just too many threats on the floor for Orlando…at least when it comes against playing Toronto. Both teams rank among the top five in the NBA in shooting the three ball, but Orlando is mediocre at protecting the perimeter. That shouldn’t be a main problem for Orlando because they are among the best when it comes to scoring in the paint; something that is needed in playoff time because you can’t win off of jump shots all day. Orlando is the favorite for this series.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards
This should be one of the most intriguing match ups in the Eastern Conference. This has showdown has a lot of significance to it because of the trash talking that has already occurred on the Washington side. Wizards guard, DeShawn Stevenson had the nerve to say that the NBA’s leading scorer, LeBron James is overrated. And superstar Gilbert Arenas went on to say that he doesn’t believe that the Cavs can beat the Wizards in the playoffs three years in a row. In saying that, Arenas does have a point. The Cavs have entire different look to their team with the additions of Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Joe Smith and Wally Sczerbiak. So it will be interesting to see how head coach, Mike Brown can get them to run well in the playoffs. It shouldn’t be any different than the regular season, but the energy level will have to be turned up a notch if they want to dominate the 1st round. On the other side, Washington didn’t have Gilbert Arenas in last years 1st round against the Cavs, so they have a different look to their lineup that Mike Brown didn’t see in last years playoffs. Since Arenas has returned from that knee injury that sidelined him for most of the season, he has been held to limited minutes for precautionary reasons. In only about 21 minutes per, Arenas has been able to come off of the bench for the last part of this season and put up 14.6 points a game. That is an encouraging sign for the Wiz going into the playoffs. The only thing that concerns people is that the Washington “Big Three” haven’t all played that much together in a while. Caron Butler has been bothered by injuries over the last several of weeks of the season and he’s basically been on and off of the court. Antawn Jamison will be the key going into this series for plenty of reasons. Jamison possesses all kinds of abilities on the floor. He knows how to play exceptional defense, he can make cuts to the basket and his jumper is a threat. This has been one of his best seasons thus far, averaging 21.4 points and 10.2 rebounds a game. The Cavs are coming into this match up with questions still surrounding their ability to play team basketball. Lebron is the pure star on this team, but they tend to get the job done when it needs to be accomplished. And with all of the recent trash talking that has been going on in the Washington locker room, the Cavs feed off of that. We all know LeBron loves it, as he showed it a couple of times this season when he had fans taunting them and he went on to take over those games and lead the Cavs to victory. If he is on the court with the same people who were talking trash about him and his team, imagine the possibilities. This looks like a match up that is truly evened out on all sides, and it looks like it will go deep. But the Cavs may be the ones that take this one away for the third consecutive year. As you can see, there are a few terrific match ups coming out of the first round in the Eastern Conference. There will likely be a lot of series going to deep, so the great match ups indicate that it will be difficult for a sweep to occur in this first round.

The "Big Three" now a Big Team?

By: Vince Vitale

Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan.

Three names that used to be considered the big three.

But only until blockbuster trades landed Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics. Allen and Garnett along with Paul Pierce created a new “Big Three”. This Big Three is different though. None of the members of this triangle have championship rings. San Antonio’s success has been well documented throughout this decade. Boston hasn’t seen a competitive fight since Pierce and Antoine Walker were a dynamic duo. Now three hungry players are assembled together to bring Boston another title. But what’s truly special about this “Big Three” is its not just three people…

The question for the Celtics coming into this season was would the supporting cast be able to hold their own. The answer is yes. Rajon Rondo has turned into a nightmare for opposing defense because of his ability to break down the D. His ability to get to the rack and his lockdown defense along with his great athleticism has allowed him to exceed expectations. Boston now has a developed a steady point guard and if one wasn’t enough they added a proven veteran in Sam Cassell. It wasn’t to long ago when Garnett had his MVP season and Cassell was right along side of him. This chemistry is great but let’s not forget that Cassell played along Ray Allen’s side back in the Milwaukee Bucks days. Cassell has championship experience with the Rockets and adds depth to the Celtics.

Speaking of experience P.J. Browns presence adds just that. Once he gets back into game shape, Brown will provide depth at the center position. Tony Allen and Leon Powe add energy into the mix. Their exciting plays and ability to block shots will help give Pierce and Garnett breaks when they come off the bench. James Posey is a tough defender who is not shy to take a foul. He adds a defensive strength to the best defensive team, along with good 3 point shooting ability. Speaking of three point shooting Eddie House can provide a scoring spark with his shooting off the bench. Glen Davis has probably made the most dramatic improvement since the off-season. He is a good low post threat and helps bring depth to the frontcourt. The biggest surprise to this team would have to be the maturity of Kendrick Perkins game. He is now a legit center in the NBA. His shot blocking and inside scoring has improved dramatically this year and along side with Garnett adds a formidable frontcourt.

As you can see this team is no longer the Big Three; they are slowly but surely developing into the “Big Team”.

Don't get it twisted, the Red Sox are still the team to beat!

By: Byron Parker

What's with people naming other MLB teams to be the so-called "team to beat"? When in all actuality the Boston Red Sox are still the World Champs which enables them to remain "the team to beat". A lot of people tend to get excited about off season moves that were made by other teams, but we have to remember one thing. Moves are made to win championships. The Boston Red Sox already have a championship caliber team. They still have the same team that won the World Series last year and they didn't really have to make a lot of moves because of that. But people tend to get excited when they see another organization make moves that will give them a "potential" championship caliber team.

This goes for teams like the Detroit Tigers, the New York Mets, and any other organizations who may have made a big splash in the off season. All of a sudden, teams that weren't in the playoffs a season ago are now the favorites in the league. It's okay to be “favorited”, but it gets ignorant when they become the team to beat. It's understandable for fans to call their own team the team to beat because that is what they want to believe. But it's really not true, no matter how much you want to believe it. There is a major difference between being a favorite, and being a team to beat. Favorites are...well, favorites. But most people will look at the most heavily favored teams and consider them to be the team to beat. Why does everybody count out the champs? It doesn't make any sense to me.

These new and “favorited” teams still haven't proven anything to anybody yet. The Red Sox...well, they've proven that they are built with championship caliber players. People need to learn how to show respect. You may want your team to be the new champions, but that doesn’t mean that you can go around calling your team the best team. If nobody has seen those teams mesh together yet, then there is no reason why they should be the team to beat.

We see this in a lot of sports. When the L.A. Galaxy got David Beckham, why were people so quick to jump on the bandwagon? You see where they got with him. Everybody may have set high expectations for L.A. but they were too quick to call them a better team. Same goes for Shaquille O’Neal when he went to Phoenix. As soon as Phoenix acquired him, many people may have been quick to name Phoenix a better team (even though there were a few people who disagreed). And now, everybody is riding on the Boston Celtics because they have the best record in the NBA right now. So what? You’re just going to call them the team to beat because of that when in actuality, the World Champion San Antonio Spurs are among the top in the Western Conference and they are no longer picked to defend their title? That is ridiculous.

What I’m really ranting about is that there is no reason to call off the Boston Red Sox because they haven’t lost any of the players from the ’07 World Series team; they could most likely be better. So don’t get it twisted folks, Boston is still the team to beat.

PS: Favorited is not a word

Figuring out the NBA...

By: Byron Parker

We all know that the NBA is such a predictable league. Things that happen year in and year out seems like thay are just conditioned to occur. The NBA has not yet found a way to obtain the same ratings that they once had back in the dynasty days of the Lakers, the Celtics and the Bulls. So it seems like things are set up purposely to try to bring the NBA back to its silver and golden days. Many don't want to believe that, but it's somewhat true. You can see it from the way the officials make calls in tight playoff series, the way schedules are set up, and even the way trades are made.

The NBA has a habit of trying to turn the league into what it doesn't need to be. And David Stern isn't really the one to blame for that. Stern has done a tremendous job dealing with issues in the league, whether you don't want to believe it. The Tim Donaghy betting scandal has been put under the radar, and Stern has dealt with that issue with pure proffesionalism. He didn't let it get out of hand like many others expected it to.

But I personally think that there is a conspiracy in the league, involving the GM's. Many general managers are former NBA players; either ex-teammates or ex-rivals.

Take a look at the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin McHale. Former Celtic who played in the 80's along with players like Larry Bird and Robert Parish. These three were known as the "Big Three" of their time. McHale was active during the Lakers-Celtics rivalry of the 80's. If it wasn't for the Lakers, the Celtics would've had the best starting five in the NBA at that time. Their starting lineup consisted of himself, Bird, Parish, Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge. Guess where Danny Ainge is at now. He's the GM of the NBA's best, Boston Celtics. Now as former teammates, Ainge and McHale has to have some sort of relationship outside of their playing career.

So it's understandable how the trade of Kevin Garnett to Boston was worked out. Maybe Ainge wanted to re-live the glory days in Boston by bringing KG there. But something had to be done in order to bring Garnett there, right? Garnett was complaining that he didn't want to play for Boston. Look at him now though. He's in a Celtics jersey enjoying life, and now he's been talking about how he's always wanted to be a Celtic. I don't know how he automatically changed his mind, but he did. It may have had something to do with the communication of the two front offices. So now with the emergence of Garnett in Boston, the Celtics are the best team in the NBA. Thanks to the whole trade deal between two former teammates from the glory days.

Pop Quiz: Which NBA team just made a trade that now has them picked as favorites in the Western Conference by a new gang of bandwagon fans?

Correct, the Los Angeles Lakers (don't take credit if you didn't get that one right). The Lakers basically traded away a bunch of bums/potential bums for an all star in Pau Gasol. We all know Gasol will definitely be a help for the Lakers, and with the development of Andrew Bynum, the Lakers are now an elite team in the West. We haven't seen them play together yet, so we still can't write the Lakers up for anything, even though lots of people, including myself are ready to give them the title in the West.

So who's behind the whole trade?

Jerry West who was a former Laker, is now the President of Basketball Operation for Memphis. A former superstar in the NBA who has been the cornerstone for what the NBA stands for. West was also the general manager for the Lakers in the Celtics-Lakers days. These were the days when McHale and Ainge were playing. The rivalry was heated at this time, and a key player for the Lakers was Mitch Kupchak. He was on the Lakers team, along with Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Byron Scott. Wonder what Kupchak is doing now? He is the general manager of the Lakers!

So while Jerry West was the GM of the Lakers, Kupchak was playing for his team. There had to be chemistry between West and Kupchak in order to bring Gasol to L.A. This deal went down, similar to the KG trade in Boston. A whole bunch of garbage players went to a team that now have a chance at the NBA title. Garnett was traded to Boston in exchange for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, cash considerations, Boston's '09 first round draft pick, and the '09 first round pick that Minnesota traded to Boston in the Ricky Davis-Wally Szczerbiak trade of '06. Gasol was traded to Los Angeles for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, draft rights to Marc Gasol and two first round draft picks. Sounds like Boston and Los Angeles gave up about the same.

The Gasol trade has me thinking that Mitch Kupchak wants to re-live the same glory days that Danny Ainge is trying to re-live in Boston. Something tells me that the NBA wants this to happen as well. Hey, I'm sure a lot of people want this to happen too. Who else wouldn't want to see the Lakers-Celtics renew their rivalry? Imagine both teams, fully healthy in the 2008 NBA Finals. Sounds sweet doesn't it? The ratings would boost to an all-time high, and the NBA could possibly have a chance to become what it once was. Let's face it. When the San Antonio Spurs are in the Finals, it's flatout boring to watch, because who most likely is going to win? But Kobe, Bynum and Gasol vs. Garnett, Allen and Pierce...that's something to watch!

I know what you're thinking at this point...
"Where the hell are you going with this?"

Isn't it a coincidence how the NBA works nowadays? They wonder why people don't care much for it anymore. Stuff like this is making the NBA false. It's almost becoming like a ''staged act''. Former NBA players are attempting to re-live their lives through their players. People want things to be what they once were, but the more they try, the stupider it looks. Look at last year's playoffs. Everybody wants LeBron James to be "the next Michael Jordan." Not saying that this played the entire role in the Cavs ability to get past Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the refs did give LeBron a lot of calls that weren't really necessary. It is a shame that refs base calls on the amount of respect that they have for that certain player. It's true. But as soon as LeBron gets to the finals, the refs can't LeBron those calls because they were facing the "well-respected" Spurs. So the Cavs ended up getting swept. What a disaster. The NBA found themselves in a whole on that one, and they ended up getting nothing out of those playoffs. Is it a conspiracy? Yes it is! I promise you that. The NBA is almost at ESPN's level. The level of self-promotion has gotten ridiculous.

If GM's have to make trades to their former teams in order to liven up the NBA, then that's pitiful. If referee's have to lean their calls towards a specific team/player to liven up the NBA, then that's pitiful.

Maybe it will all work out for the NBA in the long-run, but when it does, I will know that it is all just for the ratings. The NBA no longer has the integrity that it once had. It's nobody's fault either. Like I said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the recent trade that just went down because it could possibly be a reset button for the NBA. They might be able to re-capture all of the fans and we may have something to look forward to every season. Every season will be different, no matter who goes on which team.

Regardless of all the bull, I am and will forever be an NBA fan. I just won't respect some of the things that goes on in the league. The NBA is funny now, and I can do nothing but laugh.